A DAD has died after a vicious beating by yobs who stole his £30 mountain bike.

Ian Cornfield, 42, was ambushed by up to five youths as he cycled from his home to buy cigarettes.

The father-of-one was punched to the ground and kicked in the head as he came out of a newsagents.

His old black bike was thrown on top of him before one of the thugs rode off on it. The rest of the gang sped away in a car.

Ian was attacked in Higher Broughton, Salford - an area dubbed Little Beirut because of its reputation for violence and yobbery.

He was taken to Manchester General Hospital with injuries to his head and body and discharged the next day.

But he returned after his condition deteriorated and died just days later after being transferred to Salford's Hope Hospital.

A post mortem revealed he was killed by blows to the head.

Greater Manchester police yesterday confirmed the death was being treated as murder.

Det Chief Insp Dave Law, who is leading the investigation, said: "The motive appears to have been the theft of a bicycle that is believed to be worth next to nothing.

"This is an apparently unprovoked, cowardly attack on a man as he went about his daily business."

The gang pounced at around 8pm on June 28 as Ian left Zaynes News store near his home in Salford.

A shop assistant who asked not to be named said: "He came in for some cigarettes but when he got outside he got a kicking.

"Unfortunately no one really saw what went on because it all happened so fast. Police have taken CCTV to check the film."

Witness Zahida Parveen, 31, who lives opposite, said: "I heard shouting and looked out of my window and saw a guy on the pavement covered in blood.

"I didn't know what to do. Then I saw him stagger up and go into the shop. I think I saw some kids running off."

The attackers are all described as white and aged 16 to 25.

A boy of 16 from Salford has been arrested on suspicion of murder and was last night being questioned by police.

Father-of-four Phil Carroll, 49 - who lives just 250 yards from the attack scene - is still in hospital more than a month after being left for dead when he tackled drunken thugs who threw a stone at his Range Rover.